World of Hard Knocks
by Bender's Edge
Summary: A competitor company called HKW shows up and blows even the WWE out of the water. Please R


Title: The World of Hard Knocks  
  
Author: Dave Scott  
  
Disclaimer: All superstars are property of the author Dave Scott. Please e- mail me at bender_hkw@lycos.com for permission to use any of these characters. I mean it.  
  
I know this starts off boring but I promise it'll get better. Remember, this is only the prologue.  
  
Introduction  
  
Hello there. My name is Edward O'Casey. Many know me as the former owner of HKW, Hard Knocks Wrestling. It was once the most powerful company in sports entertainment. We crushed competition for years, but you know how things have come and gone.  
  
I am now a director for numerous sporting documents. I dig through all the facts and dirty little secrets and lies. I interview every individual who was involved and seek the truth behind every event and I have to tell you, Hard Knocks Wrestling has been a goldmine when researching this now defunct company. I still see people with banners, clothing and bodywork with the classic wrestling logo. I have searched thousands of Internet sites with commemorative sites to superstars, fanatics trying to form their own independent leagues in hopes of resurrecting HKW and non-stop, pricey auctions on HKW memorabilia.  
  
I, Edward O'Casey have spent seven years gathering information and interviewing more than five hundred employees who have worked for this company. Even as the owner, there were so many things I didn't know until now. I have now come to a conclusion to my never-ending research. As the former owner of a conglomerate and father of a former HKW wrestler, it is my duty to tell you the whole truth about the world of Hard Knocks Wrestling. It all started 23 years ago..  
  
Charlottesville, Virginia 1987  
  
My oldest Doug O'Casey was a business major at the University of Virginia (UVA). His grades were excellent; he had a good head on his shoulders and stayed with the right crowd. My son was drug free; he didn't smoke, rarely drank and had a monogamist relationship with his high school sweetheart. He always looked ahead and was out for a challenge. He always thought positively and when he had an idea, he would follow through or die trying. There was nothing that he couldn't do.  
  
Doug was above average but his college roommates were a different story. I wouldn't call them slackers. After seeing their performance in this company and their effort, I will give them credit for making HKW something. Their names were Howard Brenneman, Jonathan Jones and Samuel Barrios.  
  
Back in college they were unsure or their futures. My family had lived in Woodbridge at the time and we were only a few hours away from the campus but his roommates were from out of state. They couldn't go see their parents any time and didn't seem to care. They were living away from their homes where their parents couldn't tell them what to do and they could get away with almost anything if they wanted. I was relieved to hear that they weren't criminals.  
  
Doug told me all about his roommates. Howard Brenneman played college football until he tore a rotary cuff in the beginning of the season and was unable to participate. He was still determined to play and become a professional football player but didn't make the team the next year. Samuel Barrios sounded like a loony the first time I heard about him. He once climbed up a four-story building and jumped off, trying to use a plastic bag for a parachute. Sounds like a stunt from Jackass if you ask me.  
  
Jonathan Jones appeared to be the roughest of the bunch. He was always looking for fights and when attending parties or clubs he would look for a reason to wreck havoc. He was the youngest roommate but was strong for his age.  
  
They all had their own hobbies but they all enjoyed watching wrestling in general. Whenever there was a show on the air, they would forget about what was going on around them and watch every show. They would turn down parties, neglect assignments and even cancel dates just to see who would wrestle whom. They were fans of both the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) and World Championship Wrestling (WCW). After a few years, they were fine with pro-wrestling in general but imagined what they would do if they owned either company. What could they change?  
  
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My wife nearly had a heart attack when I told her about this. One Saturday afternoon, they were bored as hell. Nothing good was on television, their girlfriends were busy or they didn't have girlfriends at all.  
  
Howard and Jonathan had stolen some mats from the college gymnasium while my son gathered some rope and some stakes to nail into the ground. They nailed a stake into each corner of the mat and tied the ropes to each corner, fencing in the mats.  
  
Doug volunteered to be the referee as Howard and Jonathan already called dibs on wrestling. Howard tied his longish blond hair back and removed his shirt before the match began. Many people have mentioned that he looked like Lex Luger in his younger days.  
  
Jonathan Jones kept on his attire. He was only nineteen but was built like a football player. His brown hair was short and his scraggly goatee reached his chest.  
  
The minute Doug rang the bell, the match began. They both yelled obscenities at each other for five minutes and then started slapping each other. Before fighting, they agreed to wrestle Olympic style, since they had no insurance and didn't have a lot of money so they didn't want to risk any serious injuries. After twelve minutes, Howard gave Jonathan a Samoan drop and scored the pin.  
  
Jonathan complained that very second, claiming that Howard gave him a wedgie to gain advantage, but Doug declared that since he didn't see it his decision still stood on Howard Brenneman as the winner.  
  
This angered Jonathan Jones. He raised his fists and brought them down on Howard's back. He pushed Doug out of the way and continued to wail on his opponent. Howard managed to hold his own and threw Jonathan off him.  
  
He tossed Jonathan out of the ring and scooped him up, placing him on his shoulders. It looked like he was bouncing Jones on his shoulders as if he was trying to tire him out. He stopped for a minute and gave Jonathan Jones a backdrop to the concrete.  
  
Doug charged at them, attempting to separate the two of them, but Jonathan shoved him back and clocked Howard across the face. He grabbed a board and struck him in the back. As this was happening, Samuel climbed on top of a shed and let out a war cry before jumping off. They were all impressed as he did a 180 and crashed on Jonathan.  
  
A brawl between the four of them broke out. This is not what they had in mind. Most passers by either ignored it or stood there watched. The fight ended after the police showed up and separated them. When questioned, they said told the cops they were only wrestling and staged everything. The cops who took them in must have been rookies because their stories were bought. They had to pay a fine for disturbing the peace and were on their way. I guess that was a good example of early backyard wrestling, ladies and gentlemen.  
  
As they left the police station, Jonathan stared at them. "You know what? I kind of enjoyed that. We should do it again."  
  
"We're lucky the cops only fined us. If we do it again, we'll probably be spending a night in jail," said Doug.  
  
"But did you see what Sam did? That was a wicked ass flip you did from that height. You could be another Superfly Jimmy Snucka."  
  
"Cool!" Samuel said. He had a disturbing grin on his face. "Yes, let's." Doug rolled his eyes. His roommates really wanted to do this.  
  
"I'll bet people would pay to see that kind of stuff."  
  
"Why would they want to see people beating the shit out of each other?" Doug asked them.  
  
"Most people think wrestling is fake. Well, we can prove them wrong."  
  
"How about this? We'll try it. If you guys want to beat the living shit out of each other in front of the university, then fine. I'll post some flyers and we'll see if anyone shows up. I'll give you guys two weeks to shape up." He unlocked his car. "And don't forget to practice."  
  
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Two weeks had passed. Before Doug posted any flyers, he talked to a few classmates and other friends. He got permission to use the gym for that Saturday night and got the supplies that were needed. He had written up a list as him and his three friends stood in the empty gym. "This is what we need. The only things we have are two superstars, John and Howard, and a place."  
  
"What else do we need?" John asked.  
  
"Let's see. We need some audio equipment, a referee, a ticket booth, advertisement, volunteers for security so the audience members won't get involved or hurt, a timekeeper and an announcer."  
  
"Where the hell are we going to get all those things in two weeks?"  
  
"We just have to post some ads for the volunteers, referees or vendors. I can be the announcer, since I don't plan to wrestle. I have friends who work for the college paper. My girlfriend's has a best friend who's a stage crewmember whenever there's a play or an event on campus. I guess Sammy can be the timekeeper. I guess we have the plans. We'd better get to it." He looked at Howard and John. "You guys have to keep in shape and if you want to come up with a gimmick, let me know."  
  
As those weeks passed, they got six people for security, two people for the ticket booth, two referees, Doug's girlfriend's best friend, Denise Lotchenbourg, took charge for the audio, Sammy bought a hammer and a large bell.  
  
They decided to charge five dollars for the show. There was only one match, so in case it was a flop people wouldn't feel completely ripped off. Once the stage was set, they were all ready to roll.  
  
First Match  
  
Both wrestler wannabes and Doug O'Casey were backstage waiting once the doors opened. John was wearing a buttoned up hooded flannel shirt and some baggy shorts for attire. Howard was shirtless but wore some jogging pants and placed a hooded parka over his upper body. They each handed Doug a card. "John will come to the ring first." He looked at the card. "You're calling yourself John 'Jagged Edge' Jones." Then he read Howard's card. "And you're Hank Brenner. Okay." He looked into the gym. It was nearly crowded. "Shit!" He turned back. "It's packed! Just take a deep breath guys and come out when your music plays."  
  
Doug stepped out into the crowded gym and into the center of the ring. He picked up the microphone and looked at the referees for a minute. He took a deep breath. "Welcome, ladies and gentlemen to tonight's main event! I see we have a capacity crowd! Tonight is the night where you will see two individuals beat the crap out of each other in this here University!"  
  
Hey it wasn't too much of an opening line. He expected this to be a one- time thing. The stereos began blasting Metallica's Motorbreath. John walked towards the ring with a disgruntled look on his face. He snarled at a few of the audience members. He volunteered to be the heel for the match.  
  
Doug stared into the microphone. "The match is for one fall. First, in this corner, from Centreville, Virginia and weighing at 286 lbs, John 'Jagged Edge' Jones. Him and John both could hear people booing the minute he stepped into the ring.  
  
Cat Scratch Fever began to fill the room. Howard entered the gym. "And his opponent, from Dallas, Texas and weighing at 238 lbs, Hank Brenner." Hank threw off this hooded parka and gazed at the crowd. He appeared to be getting a good reaction.  
  
Samuel Barrios rang the bell. Both men started off by swearing at each other and then Jagged Edge gave Hank a massive clothesline across the chest.  
  
Hank got back up and threw Jagged Edge into a turnbuckle and started slapping him silly. The audience stayed silent for awhile until he gave his opponent an Irish Whip into the ropes and body slammed him to the mat. The audience began to cheer.  
  
Hank waited for his opponent to get up at charged at him. Jagged Edge countered the attack and threw him headfirst into the turnbuckle. He grabbed his arms and threw him across the ring and against another.  
  
Hank looked spaced out for a moment. Jagged Edge raised his fist and busted Hank in the face, knocking him out of the ring. He rolled around to keep some distance from his opponent and pulled himself up. He grabbed a folding chair and tossed it at Jagged Edge.  
  
The chair bounced off his forehead but he kept going. He charged over Hank and began pounding him to the ground and then lifted him from the gymnasium floor and tossed him into the audience. Yeah. A few people were literally knocked out of their seats but they were having a blast. Hank grabbed a chain off somebody and clocked Jagged Edge in the jaw. He picked up the chair that he tossed earlier and struck him in the ribs. After a few whacks over the head, he threw it down and tossed John back into the ring. He crawled and lifted up his opponent and placed him onto his shoulders. He held Jagged Edge in a fireman's carry and began to bounce him on his shoulders for awhile.  
  
From the crowd's view, they thought Hank Brenner was trying to bench press the guy. Hank lifted him up and gave him a Samoan drop. The thud echoed throughout the gym. He crawled to his fallen opponent and pinned him for the three count.  
  
The crowd roared to Hank Brenner's victory as the referee held up his arm. Afterward, him and the referee helped up Jagged Edge. Some people got out of their seats and headed for the exit while others began throwing things for no apparent reason.  
  
Nobody thought too much of it until a half filled plastic cup hit Jagged Edge in the face. He gazed at the guy who tossed it. It was some long haired guy in a Hawaiian shirt and torn jeans. The man was laughing with his friends and had that 'direct hit' expression on his face. John leapt over the ropes in anger and charged at the guy.  
  
The security guys tried to hold him back, but he fought them off and pounced on the guy who tossed the drink at him. He began to wail on the long haired man until two other guys in the crowd tried to tear him off. He turned around and knocked them down with one punch.  
  
The longhaired man sucker punched him and gave him a kick to the ribs. He grabbed John in a headlock and punched him in the face a couple of times until John countered and body slammed him onto the bleachers.  
  
The two other men who were knocked down by John grabbed him by each arm. The longhaired man got back up and began to wail on him. Samuel Barrios saw this from across the gym. He climbed up to the top turnbuckle, eyeing the three men attacking his friend. The longhaired man and the two light weighted men holding John down. He leapt from the top and crashed down on all four men.  
  
The two began were getting up. They looked like they were best friends. Both were clean cut and wore the same type of attire, but one was black and the other was white. He jumped up and kicked both men to the ground. He ran up the bleachers and swan dived on top of the longhaired man.  
  
The two other men he kicked both picked him up and gave him a flapjack to the floor. They both turned the other way and began to walk off until security stood in their way. All the staff members, Howard Brenneman and Doug O'Casey did whatever they could to break up the fight. Once the campus police arrived, then the fight was broken up.  
  
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Two days later, the only talk Doug heard was about the wrestling event that Saturday. He didn't feel like doing it again after the brawl that involved a fan. Then he thought about it some more. "Well, it wasn't too bad. The place was packed and they seemed to enjoy it. Maybe we could do it every other Saturday at least till basketball season."  
  
He had to come up with something different. He needed more talent. After seeing what Samuel Barrios was capable of, he was happy to add another superstar but he needed more than just three people. He looked around the cafeteria and spotted the clean-cut guys who attempted to break up the fight John got into.  
  
"How are you guys doing?"  
  
"Do we know you?" one of them asked.  
  
"No, unless you saw that wrestling match on Saturday."  
  
"We were there. One of those wrestlers went crazy when some guy threw a drink on him. We tried to stop the fight but he thought we were trying to help the other guy."  
  
"I saw some of your skills when that Hispanic guy struck. You both appear to have some potential. Have you ever thought of wrestling?"  
  
"I was on the track team," said the black guy, "but I only watched pro- wrestling on television. Besides, that stuff isn't real."  
  
"No, it isn't. What you saw on Saturday wasn't fake. The stuff in the match until Hank got the pin was real, but we staged it."  
  
The other guy looked up. "I was on the high school wrestling team for a year."  
  
"Okay. Not bad. What are your names?"  
  
"Jack Michaels," he said.  
  
"I'm Clarence Taylor Harvey aka C.T.," the black guy said.  
  
"Glad to meet you both. My name is Doug O'Casey. If you both are interested, here's my card. We're in need of a roster, so give me a call. There will be another event in two weeks."  
  
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He stepped outside of the building and cracked open a can of Mountain Dew. In front of him was the longhaired man who John Jones picked a fight with. He was busy talking to a woman.  
  
Doug sat down and waited for awhile. They were still talking. It was time to take a chance. He walked toward the guy. "Excuse me, but I was wondering if I could have a word with you?"  
  
The longhaired man looked at him and then looked at the girl he was speaking to. "Could you hold on for a minute?" The girl walked off. "What do you want?"  
  
"Have we met? You look familiar."  
  
"I'm Lonnie Dunn. Who wants to know?"  
  
"I'm Doug O'Casey."  
  
"That's right. You were that ring announcer from Saturday night. Are you looking for trouble or something?"  
  
"No, I saw you fighting back against the heel after he attacked you."  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"I don't know if you meant to bean him with your drink, but you need to be more careful next time." He paused. "I'm not here to have you arrested. I saw your moves and I was wondering if you were interested in participating in one of the events."  
  
"Will I get paid for it?"  
  
"Not a lot?"  
  
"I guess I can try out."  
  
"Great. Here's my card. Just give me a call if you're interested."  
  
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Well, at this point the world of Hard Knocks Wrestling, it was ready to become something that would change the world. 


End file.
